The 2025-26 NFL season is finally upon us. It was an off-season of holdouts, especially at the wide receiver position. Khalil Shakir (BUF), Rashod Bateman (BAL), Courtland Sutton (DEN), Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (CIN), and Terry McLaurin (WASH), all got contract extensions.
Most recently, the biggest off-season move was made when the Dallas Cowboys traded star DE/OLB Micah Parson to the Green Bay Packers for two 1st round picks and DT Kenny Clark.
It was a top heavy draft, with the Cleveland Browns making a surprise move. Trading the #2 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the #5 pick and their 1st round pick next season.
The Jaguars took CB/WR Travis Hunter from Colorado, and the Browns ended up taking DT Mason Graham from Michigan (see previous article on my thoughts on this trade and pick).
With so much movement in the offseason, here are my 3 bold predictions for the season.
1) New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll will be fired during the season.
Daboll has a 19-33-1 career record through his first three seasons as a head coach. He does have a veteran quarterback in Russell Wilson, and rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has looked good through camp and preseason.
The early season schedule is tough. Opening with games at Washington, at Dallas, home against Kansas City, and home against Los Angelos Chargers, all in the first four games of the season. He cannot afford to start 0-4, or even 1-3.
They get the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles on Weeks 8 and 10. I can easily see them being 0-8, and he gets the boot midseason.
2) Trevor Lawrence will throw for over 4,000 yards this season.
Lawrence only played in 10 games last season. With two 1st round draft picks at the wide receiver position in second year wideout Brian Thomas Jr (87 catches, 1,282 yards, and 10 TDs), and Heisman Trophy winner, rookie Travis Hunter (171 catches, 2,167 yards, and 24 TDs, in 2 seasons at Colorado).
New offensive coordinator Liam Coen had Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield in the Top 3 last season. I fully expect him to scheme up ways to make Trevor successful this season.
3) Both Browns rookie players DT Mason Graham and LB Carson Schwesinger will finish in the Top 5 for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The Browns defense under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is stout. Of course, with former DPOTY Myles Garrett commanding double and triple teams, this will leave Mason Graham with 1 on 1 matchups against interior lineman. With his aggression, strong hands, and agility, he’ll win those matchups consistently.
With Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah out this season with a possible career ending neck injury (news I broke first before Mary Kay or ESPN), Carson Schwesinger has the speed to run sideline to sideline, and has incredible instincts to sniff out the football.
With Garrett and Graham rushing the passer, and CB Denzel Ward locking down one half of the field, Carson will make double digit tackles every single game.
Write it down. Bookmark it. My 3 bold predictions.
The Crestview Knights varsity football opened their 2025 home schedule against the toughest team in the entire state of Ohio.
The Marion Local Flyers.
The Flyers came in on a 65-game winning streak, and have won 4 straight football state championships.
The Knights came in 1-0 after defeating rival Parkway, 62-41.
Crestview received the opening kickoff, and got a nice return by #2 Braxton Leeth. That would be as good as it got for the Knights on the opening drive.
A miscommunication on 3rd down, led to a 5-yard loss. That was immediately followed by a bad snap, causing Marion Local to take over at the 23-yard line.
The Flyers scored a touchdown on the 1st play, with a 23-yard run by #20 Ben Meier, to take a fast 7-0 lead.
The following possession, Knights QB #Huxley Grose would get a nice scramble for a first down. The Flyers would stop Leeth for a 1-yard loss on 3rd and 3.
Knights head coach Cole Harding would go for it on 4th down, but the Flyers broke up the pass.
The Flyers would score on the 2nd play of their 2nd drive, and that would be a theme for the night, to make it 14-0.
On the very 1st play of the Knights 3rd drive, QB Huxley Grose would throw his 1st of 3 interceptions of the game. The Flyers would quickly score their 3rd touchdown in 3 drives.
Marion Local would have a bad snap on the PAT, but they managed to get to the edge and actually convert it, into a successful 2-point conversion.
Crestview would go for it on another 4th down play, and covert with a nice pass from Grose to #7 TE Liam Putman.
The 1st quarter would end with the Flyers up 22-0.
Marion Local would score again to make it 29-0 in the 2nd quarter.
Knights #28 Conner Hammons would get an interception, but it would be a 3 and out.
The Flyers would score back-to-back touchdowns, and it would be a massive 43-0 halftime lead.
The officials would go to a running clock for the 2nd half of the game. It wouldn’t get any better for the Crestview Knights.
Knights TE Liam Putman would be hurt of the 1st play of the 2nd half. Thankfully, he was able to the sideline under his own power. He would not return to the game.
Another Flyers touchdown, thanks to some bad tackling attempts makes it 49-0.
A holding penalty would move the Knights back. Leeth with a 9 yard run to make it 3rd and 9. Marion Local would get the sack forcing another Knights punt.
Knights DL #57 Aiden Helt would get a big sack on 3rd down to force a Flyers punt.
Marion Local would down the punt at the 4-yard line. The Knights would fumble the ball shortly afterwards, and the Flyers would return it to the 1-yard line. Another Flyers touchdown would make it 56-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The Flyers would get 1 more touchdown on this night, to get a 63-0 win over the Knights.
Marion Local has now won 66 games in a row. It’s their 50th straight regular season win.
The Flyers last lost a regular season game, way back on October 18th, 2019, to the Minster Wildcats.
Knights QB Huxley Grose finished 3 of 10, for 20 yards, and 3 INTs. HB Braxton Leetch had 24 carries, for 79 hard earned yards. DB Braxtyn Couts led the team with 6 tackles.
Flyers QB Brennen Hess finished 4 of 6, for 96 yards, with 2 TDs and 1 INT. HB Ben Meier had 8 carries, for 110 yards, and 3 TDs.
I spoke with Crestview head coach Cole Harting after the game.
I asked Coach Harting, what are some positives that he and the team could take out of this home opening loss?
“You know, our kids played hard. I thought we did some good things on offense. Defense is still coming along. We missed some tackles. We knew how good this team was coming in and it showed. We still got a way to go, to get to that point.”
I asked him if he had any update on injuries to Braxton Leeth and Liam Putman.
“Yeah, I mean we didn’t want them to take any more extra hits, so we pulled them a bit early. They are our bellcows and we wanted to get them a little bit of extra rest. Nothing to really worry about.”
Prayers for them.
The Crestview Knights (1-1) take on rival Wayne Trace Raiders (0-2) next Friday night, at 7:00 PM (EST) at Wayne Trace High School.
The Crestview Knights varsity team started the 2025 high school football season against rival Parkway, with a big 62-41 to beat the Panthers for the 5th straight season.
From the opening drive, it was the Braxton Leeth show in Rockford, Ohio.
The 6’0″, 185 lbs HB/DB, ran by, ran around, and ran through, the Panthers defense, for new school records of 408 yards rushing and scored 7 touchdowns.
He continues to display the power to break through arms tackles, and the speed to take it to the house from anywhere on the field.
I spoke to Knights Varsity Head Coach Cole Harting today.
“Defensively we missed some tackles, so we gotta clean that up. We had a few penalties, which isn’t too bad for a first game. We got some things to work on in practice and get ready for next week.”
The Knights (1-0) varsity football team will play the 4-time defending state champion Marion Local Flyers (1-0), at home, next Friday night at 7:00 PM.
On Saturday morning, the Crestview Knights JV team hosted the Parkway Panthers.
The Panthers started the game on offense. The Knights got a big sack on the third play of the game, forcing a punt. Crestview offense stalled out, after long completion from quarterback #9 Cooper Miller to wide receiver #11 Logan Matson.
Knights TE/DL #84 Beckham Putman would put Crestview on the board first, with a scoop and score fumble recovery (2 pt attempt failed).
The Knights struggled in the first quarter with penalties. They had three offsides calls against them, including one that gave the Panthers a first down.
In the second quarter, the Knights would get back on the board when an bad snap sailed high. RB/LB #25 Noah Mosier would scoop and score, for the defense to get their second touchdown of the half. (The 2 pt attempt would be successful), to make it a 14-0 game. Crestview would take that lead into halftime.
The Knights would start the second half on offense HB/LB #32 Trenton Osborn slashed and gashed his way to a big run on the first play. On fourth down the Knights would commit another penalty. Illegal motion on 4th and 8. Parkway would get the stop on the next play.
Knights QB #9 Cooper Miller was shaken up on a big hit the following drive and would be done for the rest of the game.
Parkway would finally get on the scoreboard with a touchdown pass (2 pt attempt failed), to make it a 14-6 game in the 3rd quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Knights would attempt a fake punt on a fourth down, which the Panthers snuffed out easily.
The Knights would force a fumble (I missed the number), on a fourth down attempt by Parkway.
Crestview would finish the scoring for the day, with a trick play touchdown. Knights HB/LB Noah Mosier would score again. Breaking a tackle and taking it the house (2 pt attempt successful), making it a 22-6 game.
It was a sloppy game by the Knights. They struggled with penalties, and QB Cooper Miller threw 2 interceptions before leaving the game with injury.
The Knights JV team (1-0) will travel down 49-S to take on the Fort Recovery Indians (unknown at press time), next Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.
– by Sean McKenzie
First 3 photos courtesy of…..Wyatt Photograhy.
Number information courtesy of…..Crestview head coach Cole Hardesty media packet.
Van Wert County, Ohio is a rural county with strong agricultural roots. Only 1% of the counties 410 square miles has been deemed “urban”. The Lincoln Highway Byway is a beautiful driving route, with many land markers and stops along the way. America’s very first free public county library was built here (Brumback Library). The Van Wert County courthouse, built in 1876, is a Gothic and Romanesque architectural marvel. I’ve visited multiple times.
There is strong community support and spirit in the towns that dot the landscape. People greet each other by name. Know your family and help neighbors out in times of need.
There’s only one thing that could divide families, and put friendships on hold for a few hours, and that is high school football.
The two predominate football teams in Van Wert County are the Van Wert Cougars.
and the Crestview Knights.
Parents and children are often related to someone from the other team. Friendships formed from youth sports, church events, pancake breakfasts, and other community events.
So for that brief moment in time, when the helmets are put on. The chin straps are snapped on, and pads start popping, the trash talking starts. On this hot and clear, but beautiful summer evening, the friendly chirping was aplenty.
Knight Pride vs Cougar Pride.
The 2025 football scrimmage game had both teams looking to clean some things up, lingering over from summer practice. Both teams hoping that this would be the start, of a return to the playoffs.
The varsity starters played an entire first half of football.
On the first play, Knights HB Braxton Leeth busted through the middle for a 15-yard run. but it was to be short lived, as the Knights fumbled the football on the very next play.
The Cougars couldn’t capitalize, as the Knights stopped them on a 4th down attempt.
Van Wert QB #15, sophomore Zach Crummey missed a throw, to a wide-open receiver, that would’ve been a touchdown on Van Wert’s fourth offensive drive.
The defenses ruled, and after the first quarter of play, it was a 0-0 game.
Finally, with 1:31 left to play in the half; the Cougars put the first points up on the board, when QB Zach Crummey scored on a quarterback draw from the 1-yard line, on a 3rd and 1.
The lead would be short lived for the visiting Van Wert Cougars as a mere 25 seconds later, the Crestview Knights would tie the game when senior QB #4 Huxley Grose connected on deep pass to senior WR #5 Hayden Perrott, with 1:06 left on the clock.
That would be it for the varsity football teams from both schools. Ending up in a 7-7 tie at the end of the half.
The Knights outgained the Cougars in total yards 162 to 151. Both teams struggled on 3rd downs, going a combined 2 for 11.
Knights QB Huxley Grose finished the half completing 5/9 for 89 yards.
His counterpart Cougars QB Zach Crummey 9/14 for 60 yards.
I spoke with Crestview head coach Cole Harting first after the game.
“I thought both teams played really hard. Both offenses were able to move the ball at times. We had a couple penalties here and there, so we got to clean that up. We got to get our snap game a little better, we had some bad snaps, but we should be OK. Braxton had a really nice game. He had a couple tough runs, and a couple deep runs. Obviously, Hayden Perrott had a nice game, and I thought Huxley played really nice.”
I asked him specifically about the Knights defensive line getting lots of pressure on Cougars QB Crummey, mostly on the edge.
“We have a little bit more experience on the edges there, and our kids are pretty athletic, so that bodes well for us on the perimeter.”
Van Wert head coach Keith Recker has been leading the Cougars for 14 seasons, and led them to a state championship in 2020. I caught up with him after the game.
“Defensively we played well. We challenged them to really stop the run. They ran all over us last year with the same running back and a lot of the same offensive line. So, we challenged our linebackers to fill and keep their shoulders square. We did a really nice job against that.”
I asked Coach Recker about #11 sophomore WR/DB Xavier Kelly, who was a 2024 Honorable Mention as a freshman.
“Yeah, X does a great job and he’s only a sophomore. He can play a lot of different positions. We put him in at running back today because he can get a lot of touches that way.”
Van Wert’s starting QB Zach Crummey is a big kid, at 6’6″. He showed some scrambling ability for a kid his size. I asked Coach Recker about his ability to move around.
“Unfortunately, our pass pro broke down quite a bit and he had to be elusive, but I thought he showed that really well. We want to keep him healthy through the scrimmage and but he’s tough and he’ll do whatever he needs to when we get into the game.”
At the end of the day, there were hugs and handshakes by all. Players, coaches, and even the fans who came out to support their kids and teams. They’ll be seeing each other again. I know both teams will be represented at the Wren Homecoming Pie Eating Contest, in Wren, Ohio on Saturday at 2:15 PM.
I wonder if it will be as competitive as last night’s game.
As summer break for kids starts coming to a close, fall high school sports season is about to kickoff.
After a few weeks of those long, hot, dog day of summer practices against each other, teams are finally seeing how they stack up against other local area squads.
On late Friday afternoon, I made the trip up US-49 (getting lost thanks to those detour signs), to Antwerp, Ohio to watch the Crestview Knights take on the Antwerp Archers.
I wasn’t the only person who made the trip. I counted 69 parents and fellow students (including 5 members of the girls’ volleyball team), who all came out to support the football Knights.
The starters for both teams opened the scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On the first play of the scrimmage, Antwerp jumped offsides. That was something they unfortunately struggled with often on this day.
The 3rd offensive play, saw Knights HB Braxton Leetch score a TD on a long run over the right side.
On the 2nd drive, the Knights had back-to-back high snaps. This is something they’re struggling with, as they search for a new center. QB Huxley Grose threw a TD the next play.
Crestview started the third offensive drive by lining up offsides. That was a very brief setback, as the very next play, HB Braxton Leeth scored his second TD. This time a reception out of the backfield.
Leeth would score not one, not two, not even three, but four TDs in this scrimmage, as well as deliver a big hit, that forced an incompletion on Antwerp’s second offensive drive.
Knights WR/DB Braxtyn Couts would also get on the board with a TD.
The starters for the Knights dominated the Archers on both sides of the ball.
The Archers answered back though once the backups got in, with a great TD catch by #10 Kane Hines, and #12 Zack Salas bulldozing his way into the endzone.
To end the scrimmage, the starters played a full 12-minute quarter.
#8 Cash Hammons had a pick-6 for the Knights defense, and the afore mentioned #2 Braxton Leeth, as well as, #7 Liam Putman had scores.
I got a brief interview with Knights head coach Cole Harting afterwards.
“Obviously, I thought we did a lot of good things. We got a lot of kids’ reps tonight. Offensively, we found some stuff that could work. They played well and really executed well at times. We just let our athletes be athletes.”
“On the defensive side of the ball, we did a really good job of rotating guys in. They had a couple of long drives, but we did a good job of rotating guys in and out. There’s obviously things to fix, but you know, we’ll go back and watch film and see what we can improve on.”
He finished up the interview saying “I told the guys, I want us to be playing our best football Week 10. So, looking forward to watching the tape and seeing what we can fix for next week.”
The Crestview Knights will scrimmage against the Van Wert Cougars next Friday afternoon, at 6:00 PM (EST) in Convoy.
– by Sean McKenzie
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The small town of Convoy, Ohio is just 10 minutes from the Ohio/Indiana border in Van Wert County. With a population of only 1,002 (according to the 2024 census) it’s small town Americana. Mail is not delivered here. Instead, everyone in town is given a PO Box.
It has a flower shop “The Secret Garden Floral and Gifts”, run by Jason and Nate. A coffee shop “The Rebel Bean” run by Jennifer, Amy, and Ashley; and ice cream shop “Convoy Tastee Freeze”, share the same building. My daughter is in love with Daily Dose drinks. Cheers and Gears Bar and Grill has great mozzarella sticks. that I just smash on.
People are friendly, chatty, and always say “hello” when walking around and in the shops and churches.
There’s only one stoplight in the whole town, and it’s at the school.
It is home to the Crestview Knights.
3rd year head coach Cole Harting (in white shirt above) leads a team that returns 12 letter winners in total. 8 starters return on offense (mostly underclassmen) and 4 on defense.
I watched the team practice for 4 days and sat down with the head coach who granted me an interview.
With 2 of their first 3 games against their rivals, my first question was how he’ll keep his players focused on the games with all the trash talking that comes with these types of games?
“I’m sure there is more than I know about, but for the most part, you know, the kids are just interested in playing, and they want to go out there and compete. And you know the biggest thing for us is we just want to get better you know. From game to game. So, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, whether it’s’ a rival or not.”
Between those two games, in Week 2, Crestview plays the 4-time defending state champions and a team on a 64-game winning streak, in the Marion Local Flyers in their home opener.
I asked Coach how he and the staff will scheme to match such a powerhouse school with personnel.
“We’re going to run our stuff. Obviously, we’ll scout them. We’ll probably get to their first game and then maybe a scrimmage or so. We’ll tackle them like we do everybody else. See what they run, and we’ll see what we can do to stop them. I’m actually really excited for that game. It’s going to be a great game. They are the gold standard. If we want to get where we want to get to, I think it’s important to play teams like that.”
Something that I noticed in my 4 days of watching them at practice was that they were rotating a lot of players at the center position. So, I asked him about that.
“Well, right now we’re returning 4 of our 5 starting linemen from last year. The one that was lost was actually our starting center. So right now, we’re just trying some different guys in that spot and see who can execute most consistently for us there.”
Senior TE/DE #7 Liam Putman led the team in receptions and sacks last season. I asked Coach Harting, how he plans on keeping him fresh throughout the season.
“You know, some kids just have the ability to play the whole game. We try our best to rotate guys in and out depending on certain circumstances. The biggest thing is keeping him fresh during the week. We don’t want to put too much on our two-way players throughout the week.
The Knights start the final month of the regular season with back-to-back road games, against Bluffton and Columbus Grove. Two teams that made deep playoff runs last season.
“You know, with high school kids the biggest thing is you go on these road trips, and once that bus leaves, the guys are focusing and thinking about the task at hand. Our kids aren’t messing around on the bus. They should be focused, locked in, preparing themselves for what’s ahead of them.” Coach Harting replied when I asked him about those games.
The 2024 Crestview Knights season was snake bitten by injuries. That led to a lot of young players getting pressed action. I asked Coach how that experience last season, benefited them coming into this season.
“Anytime you have injuries, that’s a huge blow to your team. And in the moment, it’s tough to overcome. But when you kind of step back a little bit, it’s kind of a nice thing sometimes, where it gives kids opportunities to grow. So last year, obviously dealing with all those injuries, that was difficult, but it did give a lot of our kids chances to play.”
(Starting QB Huxley Grose, was forced into action last season due to injury. Started 6 games as a junior. He had a ROCKET side arm throw on Day 4, into a tight window.)
Coach brought up the injury to star HB/DB #2 Braxton Leeth in particular.
“Braxton Leeth got hurt last year, which forced us to play one of our freshmen at safety, Cash Hammons. And you know, he had his moments where he struggled a little bit, but after he got a few games under his belt, he started playing really well. Now as a sophomore, he has almost a full season of experience, you know, has paid huge dividends.”
Speaking of Braxton, he was absolutely unstoppable on offense and defense. In my 4 days of watching practice, he was only stopped 2 times, and that was when he and Liam went head-to-head on a tackling drill. They split the 4 reps that I saw 2-2.
Listed at 6’0″ and 185 lbs. He certainly looks the part. He’s one of the fastest players on the field, and powerful enough to break the tackles of defensive lineman who weigh in at 235, 265, 230, and 245. There were multiple times where he was breaking through double and triple tackles.
As a sophomore, Braxton rushed for over 1,200 yards. Even though he missed 4 games last season, he still rushed for over 600 yards and 10 touchdowns.
I asked Coach Harting if another 1,200 yard and double-digit touchdown season, is the bar for Braxton.
“He holds himself to such a high standard. He thinks that he’s always going to get that. Every time he touches the ball, he thinks he’s going to score a touchdown. He refuses to be tackled. He’s got the speed, agility, and the vision. On your team, you have guys at different levels, and he’s just one of those guys. He’s all in when it comes to football. It shows in his work ethic. He’s been tremendous.”
He continued to sing his praises.
“When I got this job, I mean he never missed. He’s always here. He’s always looking to get better. The injuries last year were unfortunate, but he’s a tough kid and he battled back. I fully expect him to have a great year for us.”
(High point catch in the corner of the endzone on Day 4 of practice.)
To end my one-on-one interview with Coach Harting; I asked him what his and the coaching staff’s expectations are for the 2025 season.
“Our expectations are we’re going to continue to get better every single day. We’re going to chase excellence, and we’re going to do everything we can to put ourselves in positions to win games. There are a lot of great matchups throughout the season. We’re going to prepare every week, and we’re going to continue to grow week to week to week and be playing our best football come the weekend.”
Something I noticed in practice was just how well the entire coaching staff interacted with the players. Especially, when the players had questions about the schemes, proper forms, and lining up. They were eagerly asking questions and whether it was OL Coach Kory Lichtensteiger or STC/Linebackers Coach Dylan Hicks, or any of them. The coaches were clear and hands on with instruction. It was great to see.
During my 4 days interacting with the team, I also interacted with coaches from other sports. I went to the Crestview “Meet the Teams” Assembly, for the fall sports teams, held in the HS/MS gym. It was completely full. Not a seat to be found. It was a pleasure to see the community come out to support not just the football team, but the wrestling, cross country, cheer, golf, soccer, and the volleyball team. The volleyball team, led by Coach Tammy Gregory, has finished first in the conference the last 3 straight seasons, as well as deep playoff runs in those seasons.
The Knights have a deep and rich history in fall high school sports. I look forward to travelling and seeing them as often as possible this year.
– by Sean McKenzie
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Information packet provided to me, courtesy of……Head Coach Cole Harting.
With the 2025-26 college football season starting in just under 100 days; I thought we should look and talk about the best returning players in the sport.
This list does not include quarterbacks. Yes, it’s the most important position. There will be a sperate list for that.
Y’all know me, so let’s get right into it.
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State.
2024 stats – 76 receptions, for 1,315 yards, with 15 TDs.
Smith broke multiple records at Ohio State in his freshman season with ease. He was the Big Ten Receiver of the Year, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and was a First-Team All-American.
The crazy thing is that the 6’3″, 215 lbs sophomore, still has 2 years of college football to play. He was unguardable last season and will continue to improve under OC/WR coach Brian Hartline.
Smith could walk into the NFL and be WR1 for most teams today. He has the size, speed, and hands to dominate the game for the next decade.
2, Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State.
2024 stats – 81 total tackles, .5 sacks, 2 INTs, 6 PDs, 1 Punt Return TD.
The 6’0″, 205 lbs junior can do everything on defense. He can come down and play in the box. He’s an excellent blitzer, hitting the gaps with speed. He can deliver big hits. He can drop back and play the deep safety. He can come up and play in the slot. He does it all.
He adds additional value in the return game, as evidenced by his punt return touchdown against Indiana.
As a sophomore last season, he won Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Award. He was a finalist for the Thorpe Award, and the Nagurski Award. He was also named a unanimous first team All-American.
The 6’3″, 235 lbs junior was a second-team All-American last season. He has the speed and burst to beat the offensive tackle off the snap and is able to drop back in coverage. He goes for the football, evidenced by his 4 forced fumbles.
4. Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama.
2024 stats – 48 receptions, for 865 yards, with 8 TDs.
The 6’0″, 185 lbs Williams started his freshman season very strong, scoring a touchdown in his first five games. The first thing that comes to mind when talking about him is SPEEEEEEDDDD.
Williams is very fast, and if you don’t get hands on him at the line of scrimmage, you’re eating dust and seeing his numbers.
He faded in the second half of last season. Teams figured out that he can be bullied on the LOS and be taken out of the play because of his small size.
I think that changes this season, and he’ll be better using his hands of the snap. He was first-team All-SEC and Freshman All-American.
5. Jeremiyah Love, HB, Notre Dame.
2024 stats – 163 carries, for 1,125 yards, with 17 TDs. 28 receptions for 237 yards, with 2 TDs.
The 6’0″, 212 lbs junior is the best running back in the country, especially when he’s healthy. All those numbers you see above and the highlights on YouTube, he did all that while battling a number of injuries.
He has the speed to score from anywhere on the field. The power to break tackles and run between the lines. He has the hands to catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s improved his pass blocking and blitz pickup as he’s progressed in his time in South Bend.
Fighting Irish OC Mike Denbrock even said that he was going to “deploy Love in the slot this season”, showing the he can be a playmaker anywhere.
The 6’3″, 265 lbs junior set a new school record for forced fumbles and had the most sacks in a season for Clemson, since 2018. He has good burst at the snap, and he’s always looking for the football.
Even if the offensive tackle gets his hands inside on him, Parker still has the strength to force him into the pocket and force the quarterback to get out of his rhythm.
Parker was the only FBS player in 2024 to finish in the Top 10 nationally in sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles.
The 6’1″, 230 lbs senior is a tackling machine. He has the speed to play sideline-to-sideline. He has the strength to take on DT (see Iowa State game), and the toughness to take on the strongest of HBs at the LOS (see the hit on Arizona State HB Cam Skattebo).
He has great hand usage, to get off of blockers and make the tackle. He wraps up and doesn’t let go.
He was named Captain as a junior and has the complete trust of his teammates and coaches.
The 6’5″, 265 lbs, senior has ideal size and length at the position. He has the burst to win off the edge and strength to bull rush through the offensive tackles body.
He more than held his own, playing opposite of #3 draft pick Abdul Carter last season.
He played his best football in the college football playoffs, getting 4.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and an INT in those 3 games.
With new DC Jim Knowles now running the defense, he’ll have even more opportunities to make his mark this upcoming season.
The 6’3″, 315 lbs junior is the best DT in America, and possibly the best overall defensive lineman in college football.
That’s right, I said it.
Woods has the strength and speed inside, to demand double teams on every play. You absolutely cannot have him one on one. What makes him even better, is that he can kick out and not only play DE but play it well.
He can play in either a 4-3 or a 3-4, and be just as productive in both schemes.
He plays his best games, against the best teams (see Georgia and Texas games) last season.
Putting my “fan cap” on, I’d LOVE to see him in my Cleveland Browns Orange next season.
There you go, the 10 best non-QB returning players for the upcoming college football season.
Do you agree or disagree?
Who would put in or take out?
Let me know.
– by Sean McKenzie
Follow me on X (Twitter) at JoeAmerican6771 and allsportsfancom.
Stats and information courtesy of…..ESPN and NCAA.
After a 3-year absence from picking the in the 1st round, thanks to the Deshaun Watson fiasco, the Cleveland Browns made their return in a big way.
They made their first trade before the draft even started. Then decided to keep it going, making multiple trades during the draft.
They started with the #2 pick, but decided to trade it to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the #5 pick, in addition to the Jaguars 1st round pick in next year’s draft.
With that pick, they took Mason Graham, DT, Michigan. He was my one of my top two players. Graham is a hardhat, blue collar type of player. He plays through the snap; he sheds blockers and can rush the passer from the interior. Something the Browns have been sorely missing for over a decade now. Lining him up next to Myles Garrett, will cause problems for opposing offensive lines.
With the 33rd pick, the first in the 2nd round, the Browns took Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA. Carson is a do everything player. His 115 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 interceptions, proved his ability to play sideline to sideline. He can drop back into zone coverage and cover tight ends and running backs. He hits the hole hard on the blitz, and does a nice job against the run.
I reported months ago, that the neck injury to Browns starting linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, was much more serious than the team let on. There’s a chance the he never plays again, so taking Schwesinger here was a good pick.
Three picks later, with the 36th pick, the Browns selected Quinshon Judkins, HB, Ohio State. Judkins is a hard-nosed, between the tackles, power back. He doesn’t have the speed to take it 90 yards on any play; he has the speed to pick up the chunk plays needed to keep the offense on the field. He showed that he has the capability to catch the ball out of the backfield and showed improvement when picking up blitzers. He’s a faster Kareem Hunt for Browns fan.
With the 67th pick, the Browns selected Harold Fannin Jr, TE, Bowling Green. I love this pick! Fannin is a catching machine. He play on the line of scrimmage, in the slot, and the Falcons even played him out wide at the X sometimes. While he does need to improve his blocking technique, his playmaking ability is undeniable, and he played his best football during Bowling Green’s biggest game. The vaulted defenses at Penn State and Texas A&M had no answers for him at all. Fannin along with Browns Pro-Bowl TE David Njoku, gives the Browns a hellava combination for 12 personnel formations.
With the 94th pick, the Browns selected Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon. Gabriel had 63 career starts in college, with 3 different teams (UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon). He makes quick decisions, and his 155-32 touchdown-to-interception ratio shows that he doesn’t put the ball in danger that often. Yes, he’s short at 5’10”, but his ability to scramble and move within the pocket, keeps hit “batted balls” stat low.
With the 126th pick, the Browns took another running in Dylan Sampson, HB, Tennessee. Sampson is a short, fast, and sneakily powerful running back. He has a nose for the endzone scoring 22 rushing touchdowns last season. He was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year last season with 1,485 yards rushing as well. He can take it to the house at any time, from anywhere on the field. He needs to improve his blitz pickup and blocking ability. He only had 19 catches last season. To be fair, he wasn’t asked to that a lot at Tennessee though.
With their final pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, selected Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado. See my previous article.
FINAL GRADE.
When you add everything together, the Cleveland Browns get an A+.
They came away with 6 players who will start on Day 1 or be meaningful contributors to the team.
Along with securing a 2nd first round draft pick in the 2026 class, it’s impossible to deny that the Cleveland Browns got better not just for this upcoming season, but for the next 3 to 4 seasons to come.
– by Sean McKenzie
Stats and information courtesy of…..ESPN, NFL, NCAA, Cleveland Browns.
Photos courtesy of…..wallpapercave, brownsnation, brownswire, USA Today, Cleveland Browns, duckswire,
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